Veil Hat Shield

ABSTRACT

A hat or other article of apparel worn on the head having a brim which includes a transparent, impermeable veil hanging down from the brim on all sides such that the veil surrounds the head, face, neck and upper shoulder region of the wearer. As such, the present invention may prevent the spread of any droplets between inside and outside of the veil&#39;s covered area, instead causing droplets to drop down to the ground.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.17/068,860, filed Oct. 23, 2020, entitled FULL FACE PROTECTIVE SHIELD.The forgoing application is incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed towards a hat or other article ofapparel worn on the head including a transparent, impermeable veil toprevent transmission of droplet in or out of the veil's coverage area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is generally understood that small droplets of water are emitted frompeople's mouth's as they cough, sneeze, speak, and breath. Some of thesedroplets can hang in the air for sufficient time that they may beinhaled by another person. This has been recognized as a significantvector for transmissible diseases, such as viruses like SARS-CoV-2.

Due to the risk of disease transmission through droplets, various typesof face coverings have been deployed. Some of these face coveringsprevent normal activities, such as eating or drinking, as the preventaccess to the wearers mouth. Additionally, some face coverings provideinsufficient coverage, allowing too high a likelihood of dropletspassing between wearer and other people. There exists a need for animprovement upon currently available face coverings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that is further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The present invention is defined by the claims.

The present invention is directed towards a hat or other article ofapparel worn on the head having a brim which includes a transparent,impermeable veil hanging down from the brim on all sides such that theveil surrounds the head, face, neck, and upper shoulder region of thewearer. As such, the present invention may prevent the spread of anydroplets from the veil's covered area, instead causing droplets to dropdown to the ground. Additionally, the present invention may protect thewearer from breathing in any droplets present outside of the veil'scoverage area. As droplets are a known vector for viral transmission,the present invention may aid in preventing the transmission of virusesbetween people.

The present invention may eliminate some of the need for socialdistancing in public accommodations when worn, as a wearer may be ableto safely take various action that normally require the mouth to beuncovered, such as eating and drinking, without losing the protectionprovided by the veil.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theattached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 provides a side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 provides a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 provides a front view of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments of the present invention are described with specificityherein to meet statutory requirements. However, the scope of theinvention is not intended to be defined by the description itself. Theclaimed subject matter may be embodied as to include different features,elements, components, steps, or combinations of steps, similar to thosedescribed herein, and in combination with other existing or futuretechnologies. Moreover, although the term “step” might be used toconnote different elements of the methods employed, this term should notbe interpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed unless and except the order of individual stepsis explicitly described or required.

The present invention is directed towards a hat having a brim whichincludes a veil made of transparent, impermeable material, for example,a clear non-toxic plastic material. One having skill in the arts willrecognize which materials would be suitable for this purpose. The veilmay hang down from the brim such that the veil surrounds the head, neck,and upper shoulder of the wearer in 360 degrees around the hat. The veilmay remain open at the bottom edge allowing for actions, including butnot limited to eating and drinking, that require access to the wearer'smouth and/or the rest of the face. The word “hat”, as used herein,refers to any article of apparel that may be worn on the head. The word“brim”, as used herein, refers to any structural element of a hat thatextends outward for the hat, away from the wearer as worn.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the length of the veil maybe such that it covers the entire face, neck, and upper chest of thewearer. In some embodiments of the present invention, this mayconstitute a veil of around one (1) foot long, though the optimal lengthmay be dependent on characteristics of the intended wearer, such as thewearer's height. This length provides superior protection as compared toany such veil or barrier that fails to cover all of the face, neck, andupper chest. Additionally, the 360-degree coverage of the veil in someembodiments of the present invention provides superior protection thatfails to provide such complete coverage, such as a protective barrierthat only covers the front of the face and fails to cover the ears andback of the head.

FIG. 1 provides a side view of an embodiment of the present invention.With reference to FIG. 1, the hat 104 has a brim 108 to which the veil112 attaches. In some embodiments, the veil 112 may be attached to thebrim 108 via a fixed attachment fastener, which may include, but is notlimited to, thermal adhesive, ultrasonic welding, chemical adhesive, asown stitch or the like. In other embodiments, the veil 112 may beattached to the brim 108 via detachable fastener, which may include, butis not limited to, hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), buttons,snaps, interlocking slide fastener (e.g., zipper), or the like, suchthat the detachable means can be reattached, allowing the veil 112 to beremoved and replaced multiple times with ease. In such embodiments, theremovable veil may be easily cleaned and/or replaced as necessary.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the hat 104 includes strings 116that may be tied under the wearer's chin in order to secure the hat tothe wearer's head.

FIG. 2 provides a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of thepresent invention. As depicted in FIG. 2, the hat 204 has a brim 208from which the veil 212 hangs down.

FIG. 3 provides a front view of an embodiment of the present invention.As depicted in FIG. 3, the hat 304 has a wide brim 308 from which theveil 312 hangs down. As is more readily seen from this front view, thebottom edge 316 of the veil 312 hangs well below the upper shoulderregion of the wearer 320. Thus, the present invention may providegreater protection against the spread of droplets than a shorter veil orfaceguard may provide.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described, as required bystatute, to be illustrative, but should not be interpreted to berestrictive. One having skill in the art will recognize that manydifferent arrangements of the various components depicted are possiblewithout departing from the scope of the claims below, as well asarrangements including components not explicitly shown.

One having skill in the art will understand that certain combinationsand/or sub-combinations of elements and features are of utility and maybe employed without reference to other combinations and/orsub-combinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims.Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in thespecific order described.

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of apparel to be worn by a wearercomprising: a hat having a brim; and a veil having a bottom edgeattached to the brim, wherein the veil comprises a transparent,impermeable material, wherein the veil is configured to cover a head, aneck, and an upper shoulder area of a wearer, wherein the veil isfurther configured to completely surround the wearer's head, wherein theveil is further configured to remain open at the bottom edge.
 2. Thearticle of apparel of independent claim 1, wherein: the transparent,impermeable material is a non-toxic plastic.
 3. The article of apparelof independent claim 1, wherein: the veil has a length as measured froma location at which the veil attaches to the brim and extending down tothe bottom edge of the veil, wherein the length is substantially equalto a foot.
 4. The article of apparel of independent claim 1, wherein:the veil is attached to the brim via a fixed attachment fastener.
 5. Thearticle of apparel of claim 4, wherein: the fixed attachment fastener isat least one of a thermal adhesive, an ultrasonic weld, a chemicaladhesive, and a sown stitch.
 6. The article of apparel of independentclaim 1, wherein: the veil is attached to the brim via a detachablefastener.
 7. The article of apparel of claim 6, wherein: the detachablefastener is at least one of a hook and loop fastener, a button, a snap,and an interlocking slide fastener.
 8. The article of apparel of claim6, wherein: the veil is washable, and wherein the use of the detachablefasteners enables the veil to be removed for washing.
 9. The article ofapparel of independent claim 1, further comprising: a set of stringsattached to the hat, wherein the set of strings are configured to enablethe wearer to tie the strings under a chin of the wearer in order tosecure the hat to the wearer's head.